Roger Livesey
Roger Livesey was a British stage and film actor. He is most often remembered for the three Powell & Pressburger films in which he starred: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, I Know Where I'm Going! and A Matter of Life and Death. Tall and broad with a mop of chestnut hair, Livesey used his highly distinctive husky voice, gentle manner and athletic physique to create many notable roles in his theatre and film work.
Early life
Livesey was born in Barry, Wales, son of actor Joseph Livesey and Mary Catherine, née Edwards. It had previously been believed and reported that his father was in fact Joseph's brother, actor Samuel Livesey, to whom Mary Catherine Edwards was married after Joseph's death. Her sister was Samuel Livesey's first wife. Roger Livesey was educated at Westminster City School, London.Acting career
Livesey studied under Italia Conti. His first stage role was as the office boy in Loyalty at St James's Theatre in 1917. He then appeared in a wide range of productions from Shakespeare to modern comedies. He played various roles in the West End from 1920 to 1926, toured the West Indies and South Africa, and then returned to join the Old Vic/Sadler's Wells company from September 1932 until May 1934. In 1936 he appeared in New York City in Wycherley's comedy The Country Wife. While in New York he married actress Ursula Jeans, whom he had known previously in England.At the outbreak of the Second World War Livesey and Jeans were among the first volunteers to entertain the troops. He then applied for flying duties in the Royal Air Force but due to his age was rejected. Instead he worked in an aircraft factory at Desford aerodrome near Leicester to "do his bit for the war effort".
Livesey was chosen by Michael Powell to play the lead in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp after Powell was denied his original choice, Laurence Olivier. The film was shown in New York and established Livesey's international reputation as a talented character actor. In 1945, he was the first choice for the male lead role in Brief Encounter, which in the end went to Trevor Howard.
He toured Australia from 1956 to 1958 playing Jimmy Broadbent in The Reluctant Debutante and continued playing many theatrical roles during his film career until 1969. One of his last roles was as the Duke of St Bungay in The Pallisers television series. His final television appearance was in the series Benjamin Franklin in 1975.
Death
Livesey died in Watford from colorectal cancer at the age of 69 on 4 February 1976. He shares a memorial plaque with his wife Ursula Jeans in the actors' church St Paul's in Covent Garden.Livesey family
Brothers Joseph and Samuel Livesey married, respectively, sisters Margaret Ann Edwards and Mary Catherine Edwards. Following the deaths of Joseph in 1911 and Margaret Ann in 1913, Samuel Livesey married Mary Catherine. The four children from both first marriages, in addition to the daughter born in 1915 of the second marriage, were all raised as one large family.The family tree was further complicated when Roger Livesey married the actress Ursula Jeans, whose brother, Desmond Jeans, was already married to Roger's sister, Maggie.
Many of the family formed a touring company of actors, performing in regional theatres and from the back of an old wagon, one side of which could be dropped to form a stage. This peripatetic lifestyle meant they did not regard themselves as particularly Welsh, or English.